5 last-minute gifts to make (from your kitchen)

It is almost too late to post about food gifts for this Christmas… except that you might want to give some last minute gifts to teachers, friends and hostesses—especially gifts that are unexpected and show how much you appreciate someone.

Many of these are so easy to put together, and if you are like me with a smaller budget this year: you can spend more time making something with your hands and spend less money at the store. Besides, every year I age I appreciate the homemade gifts even more than the store bought variety. (No doubt much of this comes from peering at my kids’ ornaments they made me in preschool… they are growing up way too fast!).

Here are 5 of my favorite gifts to make people:

1. House Herbs
This is a blend of Italian Herbs that I combine and put in canning jars with a pretty paper top and label of ideas for ‘how to use.’ I use these herbs all the time for roasting vegetables, in salad dressing and in my basic tomato sauce. Extra: print out some recipes and roll them up like a scroll.

2. Limoncello
This is hardly fair: you cannot actually make my version in time, since I like the kind that matures over 80 odd days. BUT you CAN give them the recipe and ingredients to get started! I would love it if someone gave me a limoncello kit!

3. Steak Rubs
I use steak rubs often, and a jar makes a great gift. Choose from Latin Rub, (fish too!) Mahi Rub or Classic Steak Rub.

4. Peppermint Bark
This is the easiest of my list of 5 last-minute gifts. It involves just 3 ingredients and takes no time at all. My kids love to help make peppermint bark—and it looks super festive tied up in cellophane and topped with curled ribbon. Have the kids make cards to tie onto these addictive treats.

5. Eggnog Pound cake
I would say Eggnog, but again my affinity for specialty elixirs that take months to marry their flavors. But you can be equally festive by making eggnog pound cake—a special treat people love to eat, but don’t often make for themselves.

Don’t you just love the photo of the wild boar Santa? It seemed fitting since I am wishing you a Merry Christmas from Italy (and my new favorite dish includes wild boar sauce…)

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